Ideas & Tips

Earlier this morning, I snapped my last first-day-of-school photo of my older daughter who today begins her senior year of high school. While she’ll have many more first days in college, I won’t be there to document them before she leaves for that first class. And I won’t be there with a favorite meal prepared…

My friend Ed Poll  has written dozens of books and hundreds of articles. Life After Law: What Will You Do with the Next 6000 Days is, in my view, one of the best yet.  Ed deals with the question that solos and smalls must eventually face: how do you know when it’s time to go…

In October 2011, I blogged about a Virginia lawyer Horace Hunter’s challenge to a disciplinary charge  for failing to include a disclaimer on his blog stating that results in past cases handled by the firm (and reported on the blog) are unique to the facts and do not guarantee a similar outcome in other cases.  Hunter…

For those of you who track ethics developments at MyShingle, there are a couple of updates to report.  Here’s Part I; Part II (on blogs and the First Amendment) is Ethics Follow Up 2: Will Virginia law blogger’s challenge to discipline deprive other blogs of First Amendment protection? Back in March 2010, I mocked New…

Last night, I glimpsed the future of work at my kitchen table. It was 10 pm, and I’d just returned from the grocery store when I happened upon my daughter, math book and worksheet spread on the table, laptop  by her side open to a Facebook page.  Naturally, I exploded – “What are doing on…

Starting a law practice is hard enough, without having to defend yourself in a lawsuit.  But that’s the position that Carolyn Hartle finds herself in, according to the  Sharon Herald, after having launched her new practice while she was still working as an associate at her former law firm, Lewis and Ristvey.  But is this…

In just a few hours, my sweet Mira will step to the front of the synagogue on the occasion of her bat mitzvah.  Before family and friends, she will chant the parshat (Torah portion) where Moses speaks to the Jewish people for the last time before they cross the Jordan into Canaan. But Moses cannot accompany…

Although I question the value of  business plans , starting a law firm without even a vague idea of anticipated revenue sources or expected expenses is foolhardy.   To help guide the law firm planning (or prediction) process, I’ve developed, with the help of my computer-savvy husband, a basic calculator to list and total your…